Lantern holder



July 19, 1955 I BODNAR 2,713,470

LANTERN HOLDER Filed March 10, 1950 I N V EN TOR. 100/5 190mm BY 2 g W United States Patent ffice 2,713,470 Patented July 19, 1955 LANTERN HOLDER Louis Bodnar, Cleveland, Ohio Application March 10, 1950, Serial No. 148,928

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-402) This invention relates to improvements in lantern holders, more particularly means for supporting a sportsmans lantern in a receiving socket such as the hole in an oarlock of a small boat.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a lantern holder of the character stated which shall be of simple low cost construction, and which shall nevertheless provide a reliable and rigid support for the lantern.

Another object is the provision of a lantern holder which is adapted to adjust itself automatically to small variations in the size of the lantern to be supported.

Another object is the provision of a lantern holder which is collapsible in order that it may occupy a relatively small space when not in use.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as I proceed with the description of those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a lantern holder embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of another embodiment thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental plan view of the construction of Pig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the construction of Fig. 2 in its collapsed condition, certain of the parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the inven tion.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental view on a reduced scale of a lantern holder mounted in an oarlock of a rowboat and showing a lantern gripped and supported by the holder, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on a larger scale taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring first to Fig. 1, in which the preferred form of the invention is illustrated, it will be observed that the holder is made up of two wires, which are preferably resilient but of fairly heavy gauge. These wires comprise upstanding leg portions 10 and 11 which are of a diameter such that their combined cross-sectional dimension is slightly less than the diameter of a receiving socket such as the hole 12 in an oarlock 13 of a small boat. The leg portions 10 and 11 of these wires are long enough to extend well above the side of the boat when the wires are in position in the oarlock as indicated in Fig. 5.

At the upper ends of the leg portions 10 and 11 the wires are bent substantially at a right angle to form straight arm portions 14 and 15 which may be of the order of four or five inches in length. Beyond these arm portions the wires are oppositely curved to form substantially semi-circular portions 16 and 17, and these latter portions are connected at their outer extremities by a pivot 18 constituting a hinge about which the two parts 14, 16 and 15, 17 may swing in the common plane of the semi-circular portions.

The internal diameter of the combined semi-circular portions 16 and 17 is preferably such that when it is caused to encircle a lantern, as shown in Fig. 5, the straight arms 14 and 15 will not come quite together. Hence when the leg portions 10 and 11 are brought together and inserted into the hole of an oarlock or other socket of similar design the resilience of the wires causes them to yield sufliciently to permit such insertion and the wires are put under stress to grip the lantern tightly and support it firmly.

The construction of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 is similar to that above described. However in this case the straight arm portions 14 and 15 connected by pivot 18 are separate from the upstanding leg portions 10' and 11', and each of the arms 14' and 15' is pivotally connected with one of the leg portions 10 and 11' as indicated at 28 and 19. The legs it? and 11' also have lateral extensions 2i) and 21 at their upper ends which terminate in hooks 22 and 23 that are shaped to underlie the arms 14' and 15' and support them at points spaced from the pivots 18 and 19. By this arrangement the load resulting from the weight of the lantern is readily carried and any stress exerted upon the legs in bringing them together for insertion into the socket is transmitted to the arms 14 and 15 and thence to the lantern gripping semi-circular portions 16' and 17'.

When the holder of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 is not in use it may be collapsed by swinging the two legs 10' and 11 on their pivots 18 and 19 through substantially 270 to the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and in broken lines in Fig. 3.

While in the foregoing description the holder of this invention is described particularly as applied to the support of a lantern in an oarlock, it is to be understood that the device is applicable to other sockets of proper dimensions relative to the size of wire employed in the holder, and that still other applications are possible. For example the legs of the holder may be brought together and forced into the ground for two or three inches. It is also to be understood that the semi-circular form of the curved portions 16 and 17 may be modified to include portions that are semi-elliptical.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a lantern support, a pair of wires each comprising a substantially semi-circular portion, said portions being connected by a hinge to swing in their common plane and adapted to encircle and grip a lantern, the internal diameter of said combined semicircular portions being less than the diameter of a lantern to be supported, said wires also comprising straight arms extending in the same plane away from said hinge, a pair of resilient leg wires pivoted to said arm portions at the extremities of the latter, said leg wires having at their upper ends lateral extensions beyond the pivots terminating in hooks engaging the said arm portions beneath the same, whereby the support may be folded into a small compass.

2. In a lantern support, a pair of wires each comprising a substantially semicircular portion, said portions being connected by a hinge to swing in their common plane and adapted to encircle and grip a lantern, the internal diameters of said combined semicircular portions being less than the diameter of a lantern to be supported, said wires also comprising straight arms extending in the same plane away from said hinge, a pair of resilient leg wires pivoted to said straight arms at the extremities of the latter, said leg wires having at their upper ends portions extending laterally from said pivots approximately parallel to said straight arms and provided with shoulders engaging beneath and supporting said straight arms, whereby the lantern support may be folded into a small compass.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hollister Nov. 6, 1883 Coolbaugh Jan. 13, 1885 Wernig Mar. 24, 1914 Rain Sept. 28, 1915 4 Bockmann Apr. 7, 1925 Edwards June 13, 1933 Nibur May 20, 1941 Radick Oct 23, 1945 Harrison June 20, 1950 

